Let’s look back for a bit to a couple of articles from 2022. One is from truthout and the other from Business Insider.
Jeffries, Favored to Succeed Pelosi, Has History of Hostility Toward the Left
Hakeem Jeffries has denigrated the “extreme left” and is a co-founder of a PAC to oppose progressive challengers.
By Sharon Zhang , TRUTHOUT Published November 17, 2022
Hakeem Jeffries was enthusiastically endorsed by Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House. Let’s recall some of Pelosi’s comments about some progressive ideas. From truthout:
As leader of the Democratic caucus, Pelosi, a centrist and one of the richest members of Congress, often butted heads with the left-leaning members of her party. She has publicly feuded with the progressive “Squad” — something that the group pushed back on in 2019, pointing out that the leader was picking on newly elected women of color at the time — and has made decisions that have deeply frustrated progressives.
In 2020, for instance, Pelosi endorsed a centrist in his race to unseat progressive Sen. Ed Markey (Massachusetts), an original sponsor of the Green New Deal. This endorsement came despite her supposed position of supporting Democratic incumbents, which she did with her endorsement this year of Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas), the only anti-abortionist in the caucus.
Pelosi has proven a roadblock to progressive policy as well, and in recent years has dismissed progressive priorities like the Green New Deal (“the green dream or whatever”), Medicare for All(“I’m not a big fan”), and student debt cancellation (“not even a discussion”). In the meantime, she has repeatedly proved a supporter of policies that help enrich the ultra-wealthy.
However, Jeffries could be far more hostile to leftists if his past positions are a reflection of how he would lead; if Pelosi was a force that stopped progressives in their tracks, Jeffries could be a bludgeon actively forcing the progressive movement back, depending on how he decides to exercise his power.
By Yoonji Han Dec 1, 2022, 12:30 PM ET
"There's a difference between progressive Democrats and hard-left democratic socialists," Jeffries told the Atlantic in 2021. "I'm a Black progressive Democrat concerned with addressing racial and social and economic injustice with the fierce urgency of now. That's been my career, that's been my journey, and it will continue to be as I move forward for however long I have an opportunity to serve. There will never be a moment where I bend the knee to hard-left democratic socialism."
I encourage everyone to read both the truthout and the Business Insider articles.
Hakeem Jeffries has been mentored by Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi opposes the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, student debt cancellation
Critics say the rule would make single-payer and other progressive priorities impossible to enact.
By Jake Johnson , COMMONDREAMS Published November 17, 2018
As The American Prospect reported last year {2021}the New York lawmaker has stayed silent as supposed fellow progressives have lobbied for issues in recent years, and started a PAC last year, called Team Blue, that was formed specifically to protect Democratic incumbents from progressive challengers. Many of Team Blue PAC’s individual donors work at D.C. lobbying firms
Jeffries considers himself a Democratic Progressive and those left of him Democratic Socialists.
What can Progressives get from the leadership of Hakeem Jeffries. Apparently hostility and little else. It just feels like Jeffries would be of the “we can’t beat them so join them” bunch.
As to the use of the label “Democratic Socialist” it is used constantly by the right wing to demonize progressives. That Hakeem Jeffries uses the term to stir up opposition to progressives speaks volumes. It is his shot across the bow at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,(NY) and others who identify as Democratic Socialists.
And, by the way, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is also a Democratic Socialist who runs rings around the do-nothing Democrats in trying to protect our democracy.
I’d be happy to claim that title as well.
So, Mr. Jeffries, you should resign as minority leader and let a real progressive take over. Or you could resign from the House altogether. You will be primaried.
What may happen if all this comes to pass? Fuck around and find out. Thanks for dropping by.
It's "interesting" how the only elected Democrats that seem to have "our back" right now are the ones that pissed off Pelosi. And now, we're left with her wind-up toy protege so that he is able to "hold down the fort" and continue the 9 year long DNC tradition of kayfabe optics when dealing with Krasnov and the MAGA-pubs. All while many centrist Dems with high profiles wanna meet fascism "in the middle", as Musk does to this country whatever strikes his fancy. Talk about your de-regulations...
They've done nothing except talk about the violation of the Constitution and how it's an outrage etc ...
Schumer's still beating the "we need to organize" drum.
And who needs FOX News to attempt to make the progressives look bad, when you've got CNN and MSNBC doing their own corporate owned part to keep the lid on "the game". A ton of complicity going around these past few years that has left us with the current results of a failed coup seditionist not facing the consequences for any of his actions and a WHOLE LOT MORE.
There needs to be some wholsale changes in the democrats leadershit and the democratic party.